Nuno Espirito Santo Addresses Nottingham Forest’s Form, Player Fitness, and Team Mentality

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo addressed reporters ahead of the Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town on Saturday, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. Below are the main points from his press briefing. Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Danilo are set to undergo assessment, with potential availability for selection. Meanwhile, Anthony Elanga “came out [of the last match] with a very painful situation but doctors are taking care of him.” Following two consecutive Premier League losses, the Forest manager expressed that he is “concerned,” but clarified that he is “also concerned when we play good and we win because there are always issues to address and to improve.” Regarding the number of goals conceded after an initially strong defensive start to the season, he stated: “The first reaction we must have as a club, as a squad, everybody – we cannot be this kind of team. We cannot be a team that concedes lots of goals because that moves us far away from winning games. It changes totally the dynamic of the game when you score first or concede first.” He further commented: “Our reaction is to work hard and be aware of that and the players realise that the first objective is a clean sheet – simple as that.” When asked about the presence of complacency, he responded: “No, it is not that, it does not have anything to do with that. We look at the games different. Newcastle, Arsenal, totally different games. We are focused on our game. But complacency? It is unnegotiable. That is not part of us.” Nuno indicated that discussions regarding a new contract for Ola Aina “are going well,” but clarified: “I am a coach, I give my opinion on Aina as a player and person. But other people in the club take care of these decisions.” Despite Anthony Elanga’s challenging beginning to the season, Nuno expressed confidence that a goal is imminent, stating: “I would say not a crisis [of confidence]. What is important is this belief that things are going to come, the way he works, the way he tries things. We just have to give him trust that he is going to perform the same way as he did before and even better.” Addressing the significance of securing three points against Ipswich, especially with a challenging schedule ahead, he remarked: “All of December is going to be tough. The points are the same in all the games and all the teams are tough to play against. There is no difference in approach because of our opponents. First, Saturday and then we think about the rest.”